Is a Verbal Termination Legal in the UAE? What the Labour Law Actually Says
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
A friend messaged me last week, half-panicked, from a glass-walled office on Sheikh Zayed Road. Her manager had just leaned over her desk and said, almost casually, “We’re letting you go — today’s your last day.” No letter. No email. Just a sentence and a closing door. Her question to me was the one I hear more than almost any other in Dubai: “Can they actually do that? Is a verbal firing even legal here?”
It is one of the most-searched workplace questions in the UAE right now, and the answer matters for your salary, your visa and your peace of mind. So let me walk you through what the law genuinely says — in plain language, with the real article numbers — and exactly what to do if it happens to you.
Is a verbal termination legal in the UAE? The short answer
No — a purely verbal “you’re fired” does not meet the legal standard on its own. Under Article 43 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations — the law that governs almost every private-sector job in the country — the party ending an employment contract must notify the other party in writing. A spoken instruction in a meeting, a message on a chat app you can’t verify, or simply being told not to come back tomorrow does not satisfy that requirement.
There is an important practical twist, confirmed by UAE legal specialists quoted in Gulf News: the burden of proving that a termination happened — and on what date — sits with the employer. As employment lawyer Ludmila Yamalova put it, “a verbal termination alone is generally not enough; the UAE Labour Law requires notice in writing.” Without a written record, your contract is, on paper, still running.
What the law actually requires: written notice, 30 to 90 days
Either side may end the contract for a legitimate reason, but Article 43 sets out the mechanics. The terminating party must give written notice for a period of not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days. During that notice period the employee keeps working and keeps being paid; if either side skips the notice, they owe the other a payment in lieu of notice equal to the wage for the shortfall. The exact length is whatever your contract specifies inside that 30–90 day band.
A valid termination, in practice, looks like this:
It is in writing. A letter or email that clearly states you are being terminated and gives the effective date.
It respects the notice period. Between 30 and 90 days per your contract, or pay in lieu of it.
It is provable. Delivered in a way that can be evidenced — email with a read receipt, registered letter, or hand delivery you sign for.
It settles your dues. Final salary, gratuity and any unused leave, paid on the legal timeline below.
If you’re told verbally — here’s exactly what to do
Do not panic-resign, and do not simply stop showing up — walking away can be read as you abandoning the job, which weakens your position. Instead, protect the paper trail:
Keep turning up to work until you receive written confirmation. Legally, your contract is still active without it.
Ask for it in writing. Reply calmly by email: “To confirm our conversation, please send the termination in writing with the effective date.” Their answer — or silence — becomes your evidence.
Document everything. Save messages, note dates and witnesses, and screenshot anything that shows you were blocked from working.
File a complaint early. You do not have to wait for the employer. Lodge a labour complaint with MoHRE straight away if you’re being pushed out informally.
My honest advice from years of watching friends go through this: the moment a termination is spoken rather than written, switch into ‘calm and documented’ mode. Be polite, stay professional, and put everything in email. In the UAE system, the person with the cleaner paper trail almost always comes out ahead.
Your money: final pay, gratuity and unused leave
Ending a job triggers a clear set of entitlements. Your final salary and end-of-service dues must be paid within 14 days of the contract ending (Article 53). Your end-of-service gratuity is calculated under Article 51 — broadly 21 days’ basic wage for each of the first five years of service and 30 days’ basic wage for each year after that, for those who qualify. Any accrued but untaken annual leave is paid out in cash under Article 29. Knowing these numbers before any conversation means you can check that a final settlement is actually correct.
Arbitrary dismissal and how to file with MoHRE
If you are dismissed for an unfair or retaliatory reason — for example, because you filed a legitimate complaint — that can amount to arbitrary dismissal, and a labour court can award compensation of up to three months’ wage on top of your other dues. Either party can raise a dispute under Article 54. In practice you start with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), which you can reach through its Tasheel service centres or its call centre. MoHRE handles claims up to AED 50,000 with a binding decision; larger or unresolved claims are referred to the labour courts under Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022.
None of this should feel adversarial by default. Most Dubai employers do follow the written process, and the law is genuinely built to give both sides a clear, fair exit. Knowing your rights simply means that if someone tries to shortcut them, you can hold the line.
Pair it with
If you want to understand your day-to-day rights at work too, read my guide on what the labour law says when you’re asked to work on a UAE public holiday, and my plain-English breakdown of UAE work permits and MoHRE’s 13 permit types — between them they cover most of the questions expats ask me about working here.
— Angel Tyagi, Creator of Angel In Dubai
Not sponsored. This article is general information about UAE labour law, not legal advice — laws, procedures and details may change and individual cases differ. For your specific situation, contact MoHRE or a licensed UAE legal professional.
Photo by Pascal Debrunner, Ondrej Bocek, Kate Trysh and Timo Volz via Unsplash. Images are representative of Dubai’s business districts.
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